Filing system



July 27, 1926.

- r 1,594,118 L. RTTER FILNG SYSTEM Filed Nov. 12, 1925v 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTOREY Y bethfalphabetically/andPiiumericallyi jbut are chosen inl sucli'gmannerasito indicate r betica-l or: approximately alphabetical "I order so thltf'anyf, card' maybe located'i'vvitheuti'l diiciilty "ine the e iile vvfhenA the' 4naine ,but nott the numberi which it' bearsiis'fknown as vvelll;y

Patented July 1926. l

" Lnonimrnnyonjisnoeknwaivivvironn@ K i' n Application ule'd November Thief-inventionre'lates yteiiliiigz'rf'systennsj and aims toprovide fr syst'ei'nlfor ilingelej mentsl identifiedv by knamesfor other' s Words When data" cards, Y sheets7 fldersjor, 'other elements red'atii'i'gg'toI a large f number "Off *dif-'f ferent-namesVa-re to bel iledf-,ffit hasbeen found mereloonvenient to use a' numerical filingsystem-ba'sedon numbers arbitrarily allotted' to the names than l`to" use 'anjalpliai beticalf filing@` system. This kis@becausey any` desiredlnumber may beL lecat'ed 'or inserted iile contains* veryj llarge` number of elements; while alphabetical li'lii'ig'l is difIicult"7V Where 'af 'veryI large number of? namesare concerned;- ovving tof the 'afi'equent occurrence ofidentical' orf similar'namesL Q Thus ity has been eustei'naryftej-j usel numerical filing in connectionI With-Shank customers subscripthef data;- cafrdf or' sheet relating to an indief vidualfname'Wlientheinnmbe'r is not` known',

iti iswnecessa'ryfin all such) 'casesto previdel` an alphabeticalll'eiindeX-to siippliiieiit" the: numerical file. Siiel'if'yindexes"*arey often as largefas' the iil'eI itselff;y and? the expense iii-l volved` inf'this'diiplieation has limited the recognized advantages? usexoff the numerical' l'esj inspite 'of their;

The present inventiongfbjyV providing" a" filingfsystemfwliichfis:at the Sametime bot-li? numerical! and)4 alphabetical, obtains; the v reef Y ognizedbenefits;ofiniimericall filing without-z.

the duplicationiliei'etefrefnecessary in providi-ng'j alphabetical' indexes A,With i'iumericalI files'.` n Y c l Y 1 In accordance with the present invention5-` tliefniimbers allotted te *y different naines for.`

filingpurposesi are=notf altogether arbitrary thef'positionsof .the (name 'in the alphabet. As the. result data cardsf filed" numerically inv accordance Wl'itlixtlie'senumbers are at the same-` time i automatically arranged i'n alphav 'i .Thel invention r'is carried` out `by allo'tt-ing successive series "ofi` numbers' to 'successive alphabetical I n subdivisions; and' then apply- 'ing' 4te eachV ofthc elementsv 'whose-names 7fal1;y Withim any i one such alphabetical "s u'bj- Y 12119255. ,sr'irirnieepiap v divis'CIi-iie'f ci the numbers ci"F the series allotted to that ,slibdivisic'ii'i.L The:J 'elements' areltlienL arranged iii numerical# order Wliic'h 1 necessarily;places-in' juxtaposition allV the.

elementsfliaviiig,namesfalling/intothe's'ame alphabetical subdivision, The; alphabet; .c isl 1` y subdivided tefsiiclik extent as may' rbe, necesy sary,f`inzlconnectionf with tlie L number'l offelel ments to be filedi to vthrovv vcomparativelfv small fnumber of-'element'sg susuallyless' than fifty;y Within ,eachq'subdivision Tir the4 file;v

the alphabetical subdivisins,A asv Well as'k the'.

`series of' 'numbers' allotted"l thereto, may [be indicated by' guidei n cards;v so that it be# comes simple matter to locate any f element?` vvhsei name? isQkIiO'vv-i'il by; merely looking; I

through the elements greupedunder the subdivisi-'0n oftliealphabe into-Which the name falls-.f yAt,'tl-iegs'aii'ie" timeV a' strictly numeri-.1l

4cali arrangement is jpreserved'vvitli" the consce n y 'cpuent'l advantages in easy l filing land selec't'j-. ma', 1n casesl-Wher'e 1the identifying number" sknoyvn.` I l i Ai further feature Off-the* invention; .cone

sists in combining" thef above lnarran"gein. -men'tjaf` systefiiio'fljtabs ontheindividual"ele;` l

mentst indicating* atnce'f the Yidentifiri'ngiv be1 understocd," Il Willi describe in `detail the'A in allotting guide'cards-arranged intheliiigxc'ase. In `the embodiment-'5 oftheinvention illus# trated there x are provided one or jmorejguide':

sheets s containinghsiiccessivelv arrangedf v`al y phabeti'cal subdivisions underv which are placed si'iccessive, but not necessarilyjconsecutive; series' 5 'of-f numbers'.

inglyy large' numb'elrof guide sheets are neces'` l sarylj.and'thesefsheetsmav cnvenientlyjbeu i Y Vthe' one of a'setfy 'of lguide sheets-whichrelates to' subdivisions off the! Vletter 5B.' Tlf-1ere'A happenl to'fbe4 thirteen subdivisionsvofftliis -vletterrvvliieh are "ari vilo` having in its hundreds place the figure or figures identifying the subdivision under which it is placed. In the form illustrated, 49 numbers are contained in the series under each subdivision. Thus the rst subdivision B contains the numbers from B O01 to B 049, the second subdivision BAK contains the numbers from B 101 to B 149, and the last or thirteenth 'subdivision BRI, contains the numbers from 1201 to 1249. Similar sheets containing subdivisions oi' the other letters of the alphabet are provided, although 1t will be understood, of course, that the number of subdivisions under each letter varies greatly.

The individual elements to be filed, each of which bears a distinguishing name or word, aregiven numbers obtained from the guide sheets. To give a number to any element, reference ismade to the guide sheet bearing the alphabetical subdivision in which the name on this element falls. The irst 'number under this subdivision on the guidesheet is then applied to this element and the number is marked on the guide sheet to indicate that it has been used. All the other elements are given numbers in the same manner, the number chosen being in each case the irst number under the appropriate subdivision on the guide sheet which has'not been marked to indicate that it has already been applied to another element.y

l these numbers are available for use on new elements and may be added to the file 'from time to time.

- a part ot the number. This numerical filing results in bringing together groups of elements whose names fall within the same alphabetical subdivision. Such groups are preferably separated and indicated by guide cards 10 Vas showny in Fig. 2. Each such guide card isprovided with a tab 11 on which isymarked both the alphabetical subdivision of the group rof elements which it identifies, and an indication of the series of numbers applied to the elements in this group. It, asin the arrangement illustrated, each series of numbers includes numbers which have the same initial and the same hundreds figure, it is suiiicient to mark the first number oi' each series on the appropriate guide card 10, as shown, so that the guide cards bear separated numbers arranged in numerical order.

To further facilitate the use of the syste-m numerically, intermediate numerical guide cards may be introduced between the main guide cards shown. Such intermediate guide cards are, however, an inconvenience in using `the system as an alphabetical index. This inconvenience is avoided, in accordance with my invention, by providing the individual elements with tabs indicating their numbers in accordance with the system described and claimed in my co-pending ap` plication filed November 13. 1925, Serial No. 68,748. In carrying out this part of the invention each element is provided with a singie tab: and the tabs used on the various elements are placed in ten different positions along the upper edges of the elements, are of ten diiierent shapes, and of tive different.

colors. The position of the tab of each element indicates the unit digit of its number, the col-or of the tab indicates the-tens digit of the number (only five tens digits, from 0 to 4, beingv used in the specific embodiment described), and the shape of the tab indicates the hundreds digit. Since all the numbers allotted to elements `falling in the same alphabetical subdivisionhave the same hundreds digit, itresults that the tabs of all the elements behind `any one guide card are of the same shape. In consequence the shapes of the tabs assist in alphabetical as well as in numerical searching and retiling, and also indicate readily any mistake in tiling.

While I find the arrangement of tabs which I have described most desirable, it willbe understood that the system may be modiiied by using the shape or color or position of the tabs to represent any desired one oit' the digits of the number. The number of each element is marked upon the face of tle element as shown in connection with the elements B 001 and B 1001 in Fig. 2. In Fig. 2, the distinctive number of each card is shown upon the tab of that card for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to indicate that the numbers need be placed on the tabs.

It will be readily understood that many changes maybe made in the speciic embodiment shown without departingfrom my invention. Thus the number of alphabetical subdivisions used must vary with the size of the ling system, the use of an initial letter as part of the identifying number of each ywith the numbers so applied. 1 l f A` method of filing elements 4bearing words, comprising -allotting successive series of numbers to --successive alphabetical sub-y divisions of each letter ofthe alphabet, applying'to each element the initial letter `ci the word which it bears yand a distinctive number of the series allotted toj `the alphabet-ical subdivision of that letterl in which serially in accordance with `the letters and numbers so applied. n

3. A filing system, comprising aseries of guides bearing successive alphabetical.sub,-V

v the number on said to their numbers.

divisions and separated numbers 'Iarranged in numerical order, and elements i bearing ywords `and distinctive numbers andf-ar-V ranged between said yguides in such manner that the elements behind each guide bear words falling in the alphabetical subdivision marked onvthe guide andnumbers between guide Vand the number on the succeeding guide.A 1

y 4. A filing system, comprisingv elem-ents each bearing a word and arranged in successive groups corresponding with alphabetical subdivisions within which theirgwo'rds-fall,

the elements in the successive groups being identified by-coiisecutive numbersfof succes sive seriesof numbers; *s v y .n

5. A method` of filing elements 'bearing Words, comprising allotting successive hundreds to successive alphabetical.subdivisionsl and applying to- 4each element a distinctive number withingthe hundredrallotted tothe subdivisi on in which the word on ,thatv eleymentfalls." y f A 6. A filing system, comprisinga plurality voi? elements each bearing a word, anda distinctive number one portion of which indicates the alphabetical.;subdivision under which the word on that'element falls,I said elements being arranged in` order according 7. -Amethod of filing*elementsbearing v words, comprising allotting successive series of numbersto successive alphabetical subdivisions, applying to each elementa` distinctive number of the series allotted to the alphabetical subdivision in which the word on that element falls, arranging the elements in numerical order in vaccordance with 'the numbers so applied, and separating the ele. s

y.phab'etical subdivision into which" the word `which its ,shape indicates said portion ofthe vnumber of thatv element, landjby `its ments relating ,to dilerent falphabeticalffsubdivisions I,by `guides:indicating 'fsuch 1"subdivisionsand theiseries of'numbers allotted'to f t 81A iliii'gwsystein, :comprising .i'felements bearing iwordsI 'and eachv having a `idistii'ic'ti've i numbera portionof which: indicates y".thel'al'- l indicates said portion oiilits, number.-

9. AA .filingl system,rv c(')rnprisin'gy elements i* bearing wordsand eachhaving a distinctive number a portion of, which, indicates". the ialon. that element Jalls, and a tabjwhichnby/its shape, color and position, indicates'the com-' pletel number applied to that element.

Y 1C).` A filing system, gcomprising elements bearing words and y each having a distincr l tive number a portion of vwhich indicates said words fall, and arranging said elements the alphabetical lsubdivision yundenwhich the word on that element falls, and a tab of said number.'

`color and position indicates the remainder '11. A filing. system, comprising elements i bearing words .and` each having av distinctive number, the hundreds portion of which indicates an ','alphabetical subdivision I into Iwhich the elementfalls..

v12. A iiliiigi system, comprisingreleinen'ts bearing7 wordsjand each having adistinctive number, the hundreds portion of which indicates jan alphabetical vsubdivision, intov .which the element `falls,v and yeach element l having a tab which' byits'shape indica-tes the hundreds portionof the number of that element and byv its color and position indi-y c'ates the tens and unit digits of that number. 13. A filing system, comprising elements bers of lsuccessive hundreds.

groups being'identiiedby consecutiyenumf 14, A filing-system, comprising elements i `each bearing a word and arranged in successive groupstcorresponding with the al'- phabetical subdivisions within which their .i words `fall, the'v elements of the successive y groups being identifiedy `by consecutive `numbers between `l` and 5010i successivel hundreds.V v f y 15,. A iiling system as claimed' in the 16. A filing system, comprising a, guide y' .preceding yclaim inwhichjeach elementv isf sheet bearing successive alphabetical subdivisions and successive series of numbers associated with said subdivisions, and in dividual elements, each bearing a Word falling within one of said alphabetical subdivisions and one of the numbers associated with that subdivision on the guide sheet, adifferent one of said numbers being applied to each element.

17. A filing system, comprising a guide sheet bearing successive alphabetical subdivisionsl and successive `series of numbers associated With said subdivisions, and individual elements, each bearing a Word falling Within one of said alphabetical subdivisions and one of the numbers associated with that subdivision 0n the guide sheet, the number allotted to each element being deleted on the guide sheet. Y

18. A numerical liling system consisting` of a series ofelements identified by a series of numbers and each having a tab, in which the tabs of the elements are often different colors and in ten different positions on the elements, the position and color of the tab of each element indicating respectively the unit and tens digit of the number identify ing that element, and thus indicating its position in the series. Y

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. a

LEO RITTER. 

